WE BUY SILVER

JEWELERS,  DEALERS AND PUBLIC WELCOME

Where to Sell Silver?

Looking to sell silver in any shape, form, purity, and condition?
Rest assured, You came to the right place.
We are serious buyers of many different types of silver:

Unsure of the purity, or weight of your silver? We offer multiple types of screening processes including XRF technology in house for quick and accurate purity checks.  Additionally we offer the capability of performing a full fire, and digital assay on your precious metals for complete and total accuracy.

TYPES OF SILVER: DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR SILVER JEWELRY IS MADE OF?

Aren’t all types of silver the same? Doesn’t “silver” imply that it’s made of silver? Are there different types of silver? What is sterling silver? Is it the same as 925 silver? Learn all about the different types of silver used in jewelry and be the expert on all things silver.

What types of silver do you buy?

HERE ARE THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF SILVER, YET WE BUY ALL TYPES OF SILVER

Fine Silver or .999 Silver

This is the closest metal to the pure element of silver. The .999 in its name means it’s 99.9% pure. The remaining 0.1% is made up of trace elements of insignificant quality. Fine silver has a more luster than the bright polish of sterling.  Additionally there are even types of silver bullion that are 9999 silver which is silver in an even more pure form.  Silver is soft meaning it will scratch, dent, and change shape. For this reason, 999 is generally not suitable for most jewelry because it’s lifespan as a designed piece of jewelry isn’t very long. The soft metal does make it an option for earrings and necklaces, but not rings and bracelets that are bumped and scratched easily. The quality stamp for fine silver is .999 FS or just .999 or even 9999

Sterling .925 Silver

Sterling silver is the quality standard for silver in the United States, Europe, and most world markets. It’s alloy make up is 92.5% silver, and the remaining 7.5% is usually copper or other elements.  This means other metals have to be added to sterling silver to increase the hardness of the alloy making it generally a bit more durable.  Sterling silver is often stamped with a .925 or 925 STG or even Sterling

Rhodium, Argentium Silver, and Non-tarnish Alloys

Some higher-end sterling silver pieces are finished with rhodium to prevent tarnish. Non-tarnish alloys are relatively new and have a minimum of 92.5% silver purity and the remaining alloys are generally copper and the element germanium or others.  Germanium is preferred because makes the alloy harder, and it makes silver more difficult to tarnish.  Manufacturers can go through an application process to get authorization to use the Argentium(R) stamp but it is not commonly seen.

Coin Silver

Coin silver was once the more common alloy in the United States, it’s now becoming more of a rarity as the new ‘standard’ seems to be sterling silver. The name comes from the use of silver coin once used to create these pieces and technically the “coin silver” alloy is .900 silver or 90% silver and 10% copper.  Today monetary coins in America and other most countries no longer contain silver, they’re now made up of more durable, inexpensive base metals.  Coin silver will have a quality stamp of .900 or COIN

“SILVER” Pieces marked just “silver” is pretty mysterious. This term is thrown around in the market, but items should be clearly identified as a specific standard quality.  These pieces will likely need to be tested for purity if at all silver.  There is a good chance that pieces labeled “silver” do not have a silver alloy. Today manufacturers are legally required to stamp pieces when the space permits or tag finished products with quality designations.

Silver-Filled

Silver-filled is a layered metal that was just introduced during the recent surge of silver prices during the recession. It’s not an alloy because the metal is not the same throughout the material. Instead, it has sterling silver on the surface and is filled with either 5% or 10% of sterling silver by weight fused with heat and pressure to a core metal which is usually brass.  There’s also no legally approved quality stamp standard for this type.

Silver Plated

This base metal product has an extremely thin plating layer of silver applied to the surface often times microns thick. Even when items are described as silver plated, the silver content is a tiny percentage.  For more information on silver plated items click here

Nickel Silver

Nickel silver can be deceiving because the “silver” describes the color of the metal and not the content. It’s a base metal alloy made up of mostly copper with usually nickel but sometimes zinc. It’s inexpensive but has a similar appearance to sterling silver. However, it contains no silver at all.
It has other names on the market like Alpaca silver or German silver. It is generally found to be used in costume jewelry but should be described as a nickel alloy.

Tibetan or Tribal Silver

Tibetan silver and other alloys described as “tribal” silver are base metal alloys that have a silver appearance. The contents of this silver’s alloys tremendously vary and may not contain any silver at all.  The only way to know for sure is to test the material.

Bali, Thai or Mexican Silver

There is a lot of silver coming from Bali, Thailand, and Mexico. But this silver should be marked with a quality “925” stamp in an inconspicuous place. There are also a lot of lower grade silver alloys that also come from these countries as finding the proper purities can be quite difficult.  Again testing the material is the best way to know for sure.
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If you have any other questions simply contact us!